In 1955 a Coke executive got wind of a man who claimed his restaurant would take America by storm. Curious, the executive pulled up to a new restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois and approached a guy with a water hose cleaning the parking lot. He asked for the owner named Ray Kroc, the man who made the claim. The guy with the hose smiled. He was Mr. Kroc. Thus, the story goes how the world’s largest fast food chain met the world’s largest soft drinks company. Today, McDonald’s is Coke’s largest customer, the only one, in fact, with a Coke division.

Mr. Kroc couldn’t be faulted to make such a lame claim–America’s largest restaurant. He wouldn’t know yet that his Golden Arches would take the world by storm. Today McDonald’s revenue is bigger than Vermont’s entire economy and its US ad spending alone nearly matched the combined ad spending of Obama and Romney in the last election. Their SaaS and marketing strategies are also impressive. Have a look at this marketing guide for SaaS companies to get more information on useful tricks that can be used.

Then there are the controversies. If you think you’ve read all the issues surrounding the Happy Meal, check the stories we’ve unearthed. Blamed for the rising obesity incidence among American children, McDonald’s did blame and fire the first Ronald McDonald actor for, guess what?

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WORLD’S BIGGEST FAST-FOOD BRAND IN OUR INFOGRAPHIC:

Author:Alex Hillsberg financesonline, works as an independent journalist writing about a wide range of topics, inclduing finance, B2B & SaaS related issues and sometimes just fun and entertaining stuff.